Four UAA students share what it’s like being fans in the rinkside student section.
By Avery Williamson
In the last game of this season’s Governor’s Cup competition on Feb. 3, students headed to the Avis Alaska Sports Complex up to an hour in advance to make sure they could get into the student section. As the team secured a 4-2 victory over the in-state rivals, four students shared their favorite aspects of Seawolf hockey.
Ethan Sundown, a junior studying economics at UAA, attends as many hockey games as he can. “I love the pace of hockey,” he said. “It encapsulates what it’s like in Alaska. It’s an awesome sport that matches the really exciting lives we live here.”
Ethan also appreciates the team aspects of hockey. “Hockey teams are a brotherhood,” he said. “They’re a family.”
Oftentimes, he hears the players congratulating each other about their performances long after the game. “Whenever some guy gets a goal, they’re hearing about it for a long time, and it’s just awesome.”
Though hockey games are enjoyable from any seat in the Avis Alaska Sports Complex, the student section takes it to a whole other level. There are several rows of bleachers, designated only for UAA students, in one corner of the arena, near the visitor’s bench.
George Payne, an engineering graduate student at UAA, describes the rinkside energy as “absolutely electric.”
“Everybody’s dialed into the game and we’re all ready to holler,” he said. “I think our energy goes over the glass and it just gives the players that extra oomph to get the puck in the back of the net.”
Hannah Boron, a nursing student at UAA, not only enjoys watching the players on the ice, but she also likes seeing them around campus. “I think it’s funny to see them in a business class and after watching them being amazing athletes and going hard in a game.”
Hannah believes “our team is better than other teams because of our tenacity.”
“I feel like we can be scrappy and put up a fight even when everything seems like it might not be going well or we’re not playing our best. We can always pull ourselves together.”
Connor Benson, a senior studying history at UAA, believes this determination is why the Seawolves are able to defeat nationally-ranked teams. “We play opponents that, on paper, are way better than and have better records than us, but we’re able to defeat them.”
Though the students all enjoy watching the team, every fan has a favorite player. Here are theirs:
Connor’s favorite player is defenseman William Gilson. “He’s from Connecticut and nobody really knows about Connecticut, so I like the representation of small states.”
Senior forward Jarred White is Hannah’s favorite player, “specifically because he upheld his part of the biology lab project while he was gone on a three-week trip and had the flu. Jarred, if you read this, thank you for doing the part of the group project.”
For Ethan, it’s sophomore defenseman Caleb Huffman. “He gets really involved with some of the physical activities like fighting guys and being rough. I think that goes a long way toward helping the crowd generate some energy.”
George enjoys watching freshman defenseman Gunnar VanDamme. “He has one of the coolest names and adds assists to the game.”
The students are pumped for two more home series this season. “Everyone will be banging on the glass,” George said. “It’s going to be crazy.”
UP NEXT
The Seawolves hit the road this week to face off against Lindenwood University on Feb. 16-17 in Missouri. They’ll then head to South Dakota to compete against Augustana University on Feb. 23-24.
As always, Anchorage fans are encouraged to join the official watch party at Las Margaritas, located at 541 W. Dimond Blvd.